"I am by birth a free Commoner of England, and am thereby intailed or intituled unto an equall priviledge with your selfe, or the greatest men in England, unto the freedome and liberty of the Lawes of England."
William Thompson, 14. of December, 1647

Tuesday, 28 December 2010

Socially and economically diverse Huddersfield ... needs mixed classes: mixed by attainment level, attitude to learning and social and ethnic background. It needs flexible grouping of pupils within its mixed classes; it needs a challenging curriculum underpinned by careful personal, continuous assessments; it needs teaching methodologies based on pupils' exploratory talk, and it needs the continuous sharing of learning outcomes so that all the pupils benefit from each others' learning.

In this way, all pupils can learn, at their own pace and in their own way. Teaching like this is very demanding. It requires a whole school ethos that is respectful of every member and focused on learning; it requires us to move away from an utterly discredited notion of "ability"

What a woolly-headed nincompoop. I may be judging him harshly. He may be good at his job, but he sounds like a robot programmed with the kind of progressive-era nonsense that has wrecked the education system in the Anglo-Saxon world. If our schools were not a state-controlled near-monopoly run by people who all sound like this fellow, we could see far more clearly whether such cockwaffle works, and people could choose whether they want this approach or another for their children. Reading his opinions, it's no wonder most children leave school in a state of uselessness as far as most businesses are concerned, which is why they generally choose a Polish worker who'll get on and do the job, rather than sit around expressing his feelings towards it.

you obviously weren't paying attention when reading the quote. 'Ability' is an utterly discredited notion (?!)

I can't wholly agree with a return to the old days, unless by old days you mean way back to before the state took over. I think the most important thing is to smash the state system into ten thousand pieces. This is far better than to try any reform of the system, which will not work, for one reason because it is populated by people like the one I quote. Only if there are independent schools going their own ways will we beat this poisonous group-think that has taken over. If that were done, I would expect to see more traditional approaches becoming more prevalent, as common sense begins to return. I also think it would lead to something else that I think would be incredibly beneficial - smaller schools.

This way of teaching reeks of the "teamwork" approach of the workplace. It's bringing everyone to the middle and if anyone becomes a little too noticeable at what they are doing, then drag them back down to the mediocre midde ground and then everyone's a whole lot easier to keep under control, being programmed not to dare attempt usings one's natural talents or developing one's skills based on their best abilities. In time it will stagnate society and result in an era of no change, everything stays the same, stalemated, with those currently promoting this system the ones left in charge of it. It's a totally corrupt system but everyone seems to have fallen for it the way everyone has fallen for every lie put forth by our ruling elite. It's teaching people to watch over one another and themselves, so nobody ever makes waves, so everything stays the same, the ruling class will never be challenged, not for 1,000 years.

Well, anon, I hope you are doing your bit to throw sand in the gearbox!

Oh yes, they love teamwork, and teamwork produces mediocrity. Think of the intellectual giants. Were they working in teams? Were the great symphonies written by teams? Were the great works of literature put together by committee?

(Having said that I've heard Sir Francis Bacon had some help with the works of Shakespeare!)

There is a kernel of truth in among the dross. There are times when mixed abilities can be useful. Okay, so my experience is with adult learners, but I have actively encouraged the less able to learn from the more able and experienced in the group. It's a powerful tool when used properly.

You do have to be careful not to drag the more able down to a lower level, though, so what works for adults may not be appropriate for children.

thanks for adding that. I thought I'd made a similar point, but I must have edited it out!

I'm not wholly against mixed ability, indeed I'd be all for mixed age groups. Old schools would have everyone together in one classroom, and small rural schools (such as still exist) are like this.

My main target is the monolithic state system, which has always been heavily influenced by progressive-era quackery. I don't want to take over this system and run it more traditionally, but rather to smash it. Then there can be choice and competition. Teachers such as the one quoted will be free to follow their methods, provided they can find enough parents/children who appreciate it.